Los Angeles Noir 2

Editor’s Acknowledgments

In pulling together the table of contents for this anthology, I read hundreds of short stories that steeped me in the richness, diversity, breadth, and depth of classic short fiction about Los Angeles. In addition to my own research, I avidly sought out opinions from others.

So thanks to everyone who recommended authors or stories for me to read. I truly appreciate your enthusiastic suggestions, even if your favorite didn’t make it into this volume.

A tip of the fedora to Steven Cooper for John Fante, Tom Nolan for Ross Macdonald, Margaret Millar, and Leigh Brackett, Francis M. Nevins and Jim Pascoe for Cornell Woolrich, Judith Freeman for Raymond Chandler, Bill Pronzini for Erle Stanley Gardner, Kenny Turan for Paul Cain, Rodger Jacobs for Charles Bukowski, Robert Bloch, and Richard Matheson, Naomi Hirahara and Greg Robinson for Hisaye Yamamoto, Michael Nava for Joseph Hansen and for his own brilliant short story “Street People,” which unfortunately proved too long for this collection. Thanks also to Gary Phillips and Emory Holmes II for ongoing discussions but especially for Donald Goines, Wanda Coleman, Iceberg Slim, and Budd Schulberg’s collection From the Ashes, Voices of Watts, Richard Yarborough for answering my questions about Players Magazine (I still think that would make a good thesis for someone), Paula Woods for Roland S. Jefferson, and thanks to Stephen Sohn, Daniel A. Olivas, Susan Baker Sotelo, and Sarah Cortez.

And lastly, thanks to the hard-working librarians at the Glendale and Los Angeles public libraries who helped me track down some of the more obscure and out-of-print titles. They are the true private eyes of the literary world.